You are looking to hire talent, but you’re not sure if you need an Executive Search firm or a Staffing firm. We’ve heard this before, so we’ve broken down each recruiter type to help you better understand which you’ll need based on the jobs you’re looking to fill – from experience level to how much time you have to find the right person for your team.

Executive Search – More Experience | Strategic | Long-term

An Executive Search firm is a great choice when you’re looking to hire someone with a specialized skill and more experience and/or for a higher caliber role (Manager, Director, C-Suite).

An Executive Search firm tends to focus on a niche – a specific industry, discipline and/or location. For example, accounting and finance professionals in the greater Los Angeles area.

While an Executive Search firm understands the industry and talent landscape, a job placement takes more time, because they are trying to find just the right talent for your needs and vice versa.

Recruiters in an Executive Search firm are constantly developing relationships in their niche. This gives the recruiters a better understanding of the needs of that specific industry and the available talent – many of whom are not actively looking to change jobs.

Recruiters at Executive Search firms spend a lot of time cultivating their networks of contacts within their industry, discipline and location, regardless of the jobs they are looking to place.

Recruiters at Executive Search firms focus on understanding their candidate’s career goals, motivations, work style, and company culture preferences in order to make the best match to a company’s particular search.

While recruiters at Executive Search firms do post jobs online, they don’t necessarily assess candidates for one specific position. They usually have the bigger picture in mind, as they consider a candidate’s goals with current and potential company needs.

Staffing – Junior Level | Fast Turnaround | Short-term

A Staffing firm is also a great choice when you’re looking to hire someone to complete a specific task or project and need someone quickly. This option is typically utilized for junior level and/or temporary roles.

A Staffing firm usually divides their work into two parts – Recruiters and Business Development:

Recruiters are constantly searching for candidates in an internal database or through job postings. The ideal candidates are actively looking for work, can begin immediately, and fit the needs of the placement.

The Business Development side consists of working with companies to help them fill jobs with temporary or contract workers, or if the company prefers to try someone before making the hire, temp-to-perm placements.

It is important for companies to understand the limitations of a Staffing firm and where they can be most effective. Given the fast nature of these placements and the number of people involved, nuances about the needs of the company and position, company culture, and the candidate’s goals and abilities can get lost in the game of telephone between the company representative, the two Staffing firm representatives, and the candidate.

With more than 35 years of working with companies and candidates in the Los Angeles accounting and finance industry, the team at Pacific Executive Search is ready to help you with your next long-term, strategic placement. We have the expertise to help you fill specialized roles in this area, and we can provide a better perspective on the wants and needs of available talent. Give us a call. We’re here to help!